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Roadcraft Stay Ahead of the Curve: Essential Hazards Every Motorcyclist Should Anticipate
What other road users see on the road depends largely on what they expect to see. This is due to the fact that many road users (including motorcyclists) are often looking out for more common objects such as cars or trucks but very rarely look out for smaller objects such as bicycles, wildlife, scooters, or motorcycles.
Motorcyclists who can quickly scan their surroundings for potential hazards can significantly lower their accident risk. Although our ability to manage information in the environment is limited, we can improve this by focusing our attention on prospective and likely threats.
To be most effective at scanning our environment, motorcyclists need to consistently scan their eyes in all directions, including blind spot head checks and consistent mirror checks. The second goal is to offset the rider’s greater vulnerability with the observational advantages that motorcyclists have over cars. By sitting higher, having better unobstructed views, and the flexibility of a wider selection of lane positions, motorcyclists can utilise these tools to greatly lower their accident risk.
Linking observation with anticipation
What we observe in our environment can give us clues to the likely behaviour of other road users, helping us to link the observation of our surroundings with the anticipation of road and traffic conditions. Consider the following observation-anticipation links:
- If we see a row of parked cars ahead, we can begin to anticipate car doors opening, vehicles moving off, and pedestrians stepping out from behind vehicles.
- With a bus stopped at a routine bus stop, we can anticipate pedestrians crossing over the road, to and from the bus, or the bus suddenly moving off at a sharp angle.
- If we see a bank of trees on the upcoming horizon with no gap, we can anticipate that there will be an upcoming, intersection or the road curving to the left or right.
- If we observe fresh mud, mown grass, or animal droppings, we can anticipate wildlife on the road, slippery road surface, and slow-moving vehicles.
As you may have concluded, inattentiveness is a major cause of accidents, and not anticipating hazards can catch motorcyclists by surprise. By utilising our roadcraft skills of observation and anticipation, we can be well prepared for potential hazards and significantly minimise the risk of accidents.
